How Can Luxury be "Recycled"?


  • Lynn Yaeger, Contributor at American Vogue

    Lynn Yaeger, Contributor at American Vogue

While fashion feeds on passing trends, jewelry has little that is transitory.  When highly topical themes are being tackled – like that of sustainable creativity, which, at this edition of Vicenzaoro is being dealt with daily from various angles – it can be seen how jewelry has always be both modern and sustainable.  A concept that is undoubtedly open to several interpretations and undertones, but which, in the words of American Vogue Contributor, Lynn Yaeger,  gleaned during the days of her visit to the show, can be outlined clearly. How can luxury be “recycled”? «By handing it down! With a family background linked to collecting old junk, the passion and love that I now have for antique jewelry, the fact of having discovered it almost by chance, probably derives from this "family bond". The research I do starts from the stories that a piece of vintage conceals, from the inscriptions on old trinkets, from my desire to “go beyond” the material and to know how it was handed down. It is an extremely personal way of exploring creativity. And what could be more sustainable in a jewelry item than the fact that it can be handed down? Clothes disintegrate, but jewelry does not. For example, I don’t like to re-adapt a vintage piece. It is a question of integrity. Of course, sometimes I might have to dismantle  and recreate it, but I feel sorry about doing so. When I fall in love with a piece, I am never too focused on the materials, I am not superstitious and I don’t believe in “cursed jewelry.” That’s why, when you ask me which jewelry or brand from among all those that I have seen at Vicenzaoro, I think of whatever has that something extra to make it last in time. The only thing I feel I can recommend is to always choose the item that speaks and sings to your heart. Don’t look at the brand! After all, Italian jewelry is always an expression of art… In general, I believe that the jewelers of the past were great visionaries. They created an item that would last forever and, in this sense, they were the real pioneers of sustainability. Today, it is mainly the young generation who have a conscience and a true awareness of what being responsible and sustainable means…. Of course, if I really have to confess about what I love most, I cannot hide my love for the very first cameos, micro-mosaic pieces, especially the Italian ones. I adore 19th century jewelry that was made to commemorate the Grand Tour. They often depicted wonderful places in Italy and were therefore “experienced” as souvenirs.»

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